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Mini Miso Mushrooms

October 27, 2016

Since I moved from Tokyo to Los Angeles in July, I’ve been particularly paranoid about gaining weight, especially because every meal I’ve been presented with has been twice the scale of every Japanese meal I’ve nibbled on. And, I have a problem with portion control because I barely eat at home with the various work, events, and meal outings I participate in with Yelp, other entrepreneurs, bloggers, engineers, designers. I’ve also been eating out more than ever because I currently have no kitchen! (peek into my LA studio that I’ve designed and settled into here) And lastly, I’ve been testing out and creating dessert recipes for pop up dinners and chefs, which requires me to repeatedly test sweet recipes.

So readers, I am pledging to you all how I am going to valiantly fight in the battle for good health and wellbeing: the fight against my sweet tooth, the fight for healthier recipes so that I can maybe compensate for the years I’ve lost from allnighters and charette from architecture school. Yes, and it’s not just for my own sake – I’m considering my future husband’s and children’s health, and all of you because some of you are my taste testing friends. I figured if I only stick to sweets and desserts, my teammates and family will probably be on the heavier side. I think all of us tend to cringe on how several healthy foods are very bland. Hell, but if you flavor a healthier ingredient with something healthy AND flavorful? Boom! I immediately thought of miso because of my memories of having miso-flavored-almost-everything in my meals in Japan. Miso considerate! eh? hah….. no. miso and mushrooms!

Miso has been a staple ingredient in Japanese cuisine for centuries because of it is this flavorful, healthy paste made from soybeans, sea salt, and koji (a mold starter) The mixture can ferment anywhere between 3 months to 3 years, and produces a ton of enzymes, amino acids, making it a complete protein and additive to your diet. The bonding agent. zybicolin, is also effective in detoxifying and stimulating digestion!

So while I was limited in time/distance, I thought maybe the nearest Albertson’s would have it. I asked this young Albertsons dude in an aisle if they had any miso in stock. He shook in nervousness, avoided eye contact, and brought me to the soy sauce aisle and told me it’s probably there. PROBABLY? Look buddy, it’s probably not. Because miso must be refrigerated. C’mon America.

So I scrapped the hope of Albertson’s being a great alternative store for Asian ingredients, and drove down to Mitsuwa, one of my favorite Japanese supermarkets in Southern California. It felt like being home in Tokyo. seriously. I found a lovely display variety of miso, a pile of plump Japanese eggplants. and roasted sesame seeds. I rushed back home, and made this: Mini Miso Mushrooms.

Ingredients

Preparation Time

10 minutes

Cooking Time

20 minutes

Ready In

30 minutes

Service Size

About 6

1Small Japanese eggplant, finely chopped

12Mini portobello mushrooms

Sesame oil

2 tbspMiso paste

Sake

Mirin

Sugar

6Cherry or grape tomatoes

1Clove garlic, chopped

1Small batch of fresh basil

Directions

Step 1.

Preheat the oven to 400 F and align a baking sheet with aluminum foil.